Chapter Nine
Kemara
Waking up in Channing’s arms was something I could get used to. The morning after I cooked him dinner, I woke up to feel his warmth embracing me. I looked at him and a smile crossed my lips.
Talking to him the night before until we fell asleep proved to me that I was already starting to fall for this guy. I wanted to spend every waking minute with him. While I was starting to get frustrated that we weren’t sexually intimate, I could look at him and see that I would be able to wait for that to come. It would eventually arrive. I was certain of it.
As I watched him, he opened his eyes and looked at me. “Did I die and go to heaven?” he asked.
I chuckled and placed my hand to his chest, then leaned in and brushed my lips against his. “Good morning,” I said.
“Good morning,” he answered between kisses. I patted my hand against his chest, then sat up. If I stayed in that position for too long, I would prove to Channing how much I was ready to be with him. “What’s your plans for the day?” he asked, sitting up on the couch.
I looked at the two discarded wine glasses on the coffee table, then turned to him. “Oh…I don’t know. What about you?”
“Well…thought maybe we could have date number three tonight,” he said.
I smiled. “Hmmm…well if you remember, we did say that you would be cooking dinner on date three,” I said.
He laughed. “Well, maybe that will come date four.”
I crossed my arms in front of him and pretended to be angry that he was not going to cook for me. “Are you trying to prolong this?” I asked.
He snickered. “Maybe I want to make sure you continue to want these dates.”
I laughed. “Well, I’m not planning on going anywhere, but very sneaky of you.” We laughed and then I asked, “So, if you’re not cooking…what’s on the agenda?” I asked.
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” He stood up from the couch and my jaw dropped.
“What? You’re not going to tell me?” I asked.
He shook his head. “It’s much better to make you squirm, but you’ll love it.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet.
“You’re going to give me another foot massage?” I asked, teasing him, but only slightly.
He sighed in thought. “Maybe afterwards, but that’s not what I have in mind.” He moved in and claimed my lips, then when he parted he smiled. “You won’t guess, so don’t try.” He winked at me, causing me to grin.
I walked him to the door and opened the door for him. He turned to face me. “What time?” I asked. “Do I at least get to know that?” I asked.
He chuckled. “I’ll be back at seven. Dress is casual.” He kissed me. “See you then!”
I nodded and he turned around and left. I watched him go down the stairs. When he was out of sight, I shut the door. I had to busy myself and somehow get through the day. It wasn’t easy when I couldn’t stop thinking about Channing and where he was going to take me.
***
An hour before Channing was due to get there, I started to get ready. I settled on blue jeans, brown boots, and tank top that hooked behind my neck. I curled my hair and only put light makeup on. I checked out my reflection in the mirror. When he knocked on the door five minutes early, I was ready.
I opened the door for him and he smiled brightly. “Get more beautiful every time I see you,” he said. He greeted me with a kiss.
I felt like someone going out on their first date. The butterflies that fluttered through my stomach every time I saw him was something I would never get used to. “Thank you!” I said. “I look okay?” I twirled around in front of him.
“Baby, you look better than okay,” he said and whistled.
I checked to make sure my money and license were inside my pocket, then left the apartment. The way to his truck and all the way to the unknown destination, I tried to crack him to get some kind of answer from him as to where we were going. He just kept telling me I would find out in x amount of minutes.
I figured it would have to do, because he wasn’t cracking under pressure. And when we pulled into the bar’s parking lot, I turned to him. When he parked, he glanced at me. “I know it’s not as fancy as the last place I took you, but…”
I broke off his words with a kiss. “I told you, Channing…I don’t need fancy. I just have one request and hope you don’t disappoint.”
He frowned. “Um…okay…what?” he asked. I had never seen him look as nervous as he was in that moment.
“Please tell me there’s a pool table.”
He laughed and tossed his head back, literally sighing in relief. “There is definitely a pool table and darts.”
I grinned. “Now you’re talking.” We kissed one more time and he opened his door. He ran around to get my door. When he pulled me out of the truck, he had a loving look in his eyes.
We held hands all the way up to the front door. When we got there, there was a man standing at the door. He nodded to Channing, then glanced at me. “Ma’am,” he mumbled. He opened the door for us and we stepped into the bar.
“Thank you!” we both said.
We didn’t break hands, until we sat in a booth in the corner. We were there only a minute or so, before a waitress came over to us. “Hey there, Channing,” she said, shooting him a bright smile.
I felt a little self-conscious at that moment, but Channing made me feel completely comfortable. He reached out and grabbed my hand and barely gave the waitress the time of day. “Hey, Britt…” He tossed a glance towards me. “Babe, what do you want?”
“I’ll take a Coors Light,” I said.
Britt stared at me a minute, before clearing her throat and looking at Channing.
“I’ll take a whisky, thanks.” He then turned back to me and Britt left.
“Old girlfriend?” I asked.
He gawked at me, then laughed. “Why do you ask that?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Seems like she might be a lion looking out for her cub.”
He shook his head. “You got all that out of a two-minute session?” he asked.
“I’m very observant,” I responded.
He didn’t get a chance to respond, before Britt brought us both our drinks. She glanced at me, giving me a hard look, then asked us if we were ready to order. Channing told her we needed a minute and she turned around and left.
I grabbed the beer and looked at it for a second, before taking a swig and looking at him.
“Not a girlfriend,” he corrected. “We went out once.” He took a drink from his glass and continued. “She wasn’t really my type.”
I nodded slowly. “Interesting,” I said, taking another drink from the bottle.
“Interesting?” he asked. “How so?”
“Well, I just thought big boobs and a tight ass were every guy’s type.”
He nearly spit out his drink that he had just taken in his mouth. He swallowed the rest down, then laughed. “Damn, did not see that one coming.” He shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong. I look for those, just like the next guy. My woman also has to have something else.”
“Oh? And what’s that something else?” I asked.
He tapped the side of his brain. “A big brain. And you my dear have all three.”
I blushed and grabbed the menu and looked down at it, so he wouldn’t see my wide smile. He knew the words to say, and I also could believe them. I wasn’t intimidated by any woman, because Channing made me feel safe. I just hoped it wasn’t all too good to be true.